GMC SAVANA 1996 Owners Manual

If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to
go- If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for-
a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety,
you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions.
It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on
a surface with reduced traction. try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear).
Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide.
You may not realize the surfxe is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize
warning clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed
snow on the road to make a “mirrored surfdce” -- and
slow down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving,
One reason
is that so111e drivers are likely to be
impaired
-- by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems,
or by fatigue.
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Here are some tips on night driving.
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Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce
the
L‘ olare from headlamps behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between
you
and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up
only so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase. A SO-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to see
the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What
you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend the- day in bright
sunshine
you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will have less
trouble adjusting to night. But
if you’re
driving. don’t wear sunglasses
at night. They may cut
down
on glare from herldlamps, but they also make a
lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blindecl by approaching
Imldlamps.
It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds,
for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you
are laced with severe glare (as from a driver who
doesn’t lower the high beams, or
:I vehicle with
rnisaimed headlamps),
slow down a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep
your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the
glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up
a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and
l’1as1.1 more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your
eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your
headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in ;I turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way. it‘s easier to pick out dimly
lighted ob-jects. Just
as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper
aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to sec in dim light -- and aren’t
even aware
of it.
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Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you can’t stop, accelerate or turn as well because your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as
on dry roads.
And,
if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get
even less traction. It’s always wise to
go slower and be
cautious if rain starts to fall while you
are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes
are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades
are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make
it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge
of the road and even
people walking.
It’s wise to keep your wiping equipment in good shape
and keep your windshield washer tank filled with
washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts
when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on
the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to separate
from the inserts.
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Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes
can cause problems, too.
The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles.
But if you can’t, try to slow down before you hit them.
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t work
well in a quick stop and may cause pulling
to one
side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle
of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
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Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride
on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But
it can if your
tires haven’t much tread or
if the pressure in one or
more is low.
It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice
is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles
or standing water, water can come in through
your engine’s air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly lower than the underbody
of your vehicle. If you
can’t avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
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Turn on your low-beam headlamps -- not just
your parking lamps
-- to help make you more
visible to others.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See
“Tires” in the Index.)
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City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention
to
traffic signals. Here
are ways
to increase your safety in city driving:
0 Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an
unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
0 Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross
most large cities.
You’ll save time and energy. (See
the next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
0 Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic
light
is there because the corner is busy enough to
need
it. When a light turns green, and just before
you start to move, check both ways for vehicles that
have not cleared the intersection or may be running
the red light.
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Freeway Driving The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up
with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on a freeway as a passing lane.
At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway.
If you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to
check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the
gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your
turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder
as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once you are
on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate
if it’s slower. Stay
in the right lane unless you want to
pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your
turn signal.
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest your shoulder to make Sure there isn’t another vehicle in
of all roads. But they have their own special rules. your “blind” spot.
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Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain
you allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to
move slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave
the freeway, move to the
proper lane well
in advance. If YOLI miss your exit, do
not, under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on
to the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed according
to your speedometer, not
to your sense of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds,
you may tend to think you are going
slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not fresh
-- such as after a day’s
work
-- don’t plan to make too many miles that first part
of
the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you
can easily drive
in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to go. If it needs
service, have it done before starting
out. Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service experts
in GM
dealers
all across North America. They’ll be ready and
willing to help
if you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
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Windshield Wclsher Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper- Blcrdes: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other FlLtids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lnlnps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip.
Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are
the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route‘? Should you delay your trip a short
time
to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps‘?
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Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway
hypnosis”? Or is
it just plain falling asleep at the
wheel? Call
it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness,
or whatever.
There
is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum of the tires on
the road,
the drone of the engine, and the rush of the
wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy.
Don’t let
it happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can
leave the road
in less flzan u secord, and you could
crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis‘? First, be
aware that
it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to the sides, Check your mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as
an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving
in flat or rolling terrain.
If you drive re.gularly in steep country, or if you’re
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
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Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system and
transmission. These parts can work hard on
mountain roads.
Know how
to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine do some
of the
slowing down. Shift
to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
A CAUTION:
If you don’t shift down, your brakes could get so
hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would then
have poor braking or even none going down a hill
You could crash. Shift down to let your engine
assist your brakes on
a steep downhill slope. Coasting
downhill in
NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition
off is dangerous. Your brakes will have to
do all the work
of slowing down. They could get so
hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would then
have poor braking or even none going down a hill.
You could crash. Always have your engine running
and your vehicle in gear when you go downhill.
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Know how tb go uphill. You may want to shift down
to a lower gear. The lower gears help cool your engine
and transmission, and you can climb the
hill better.
Stay
in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads
in hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or
cut across the center of
the road. Drive at speeds
that let
YOLI stay in your own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could be
something
in your lane, like a stalled car or an accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that warn of
special problems. Examples are long grades, passing or
no-passing zones,
a falling rocks area or winding
roads. Be ale1-f to these and take appropriate action.
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